Here's your wakeup call -- a combination of newsworthy andor interesting tidbits -- for Wednesday, January 16.
BASEBALL
The Dodgers say old friend Carl Crawford is recovering nicely from Tommy John surgery and aims to be ready for Opening Day. (NBC's Hardball Talk)
Crawford may soon be joined in L.A. by Scott Rolen. (Hardball Talk)
Well, well. Turns out there was a market for Rafael Soriano, after all. (AP)
Buster Posey is skipping the World Baseball Classic, and Bruce Bochy is delighted. (CSN Bay Area)
Mark Grace was arrested twice for drunk driving in a span of 15 months, so he understands why the Diamondbacks fired him as television analyst. (AP)
Professor Clemens is on duty. (CSN Houston)
Boston Red Sox
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Wisconsin knocks off No. 2 Indiana . . . again. (AP)
Creighton, off to the best start in school history, beats Northern Iowa for its 11th win in a row and runs its record to 17-1. (AP)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The Dallas Cowboys-to-Delaware isn't usually an optimal career path, but John Garrett -- older brother of the embattled (but apparently safe) Cowboys head coach -- would like to give it a shot. (NBC's Pro Football Talk)
In today's installment of Declaring For the NFL Draft, we have . . . no one! But Logan Thomas is staying at Virginia Tech. (AP)
Looks like Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson is beginning the transition to wide receiver. (AP)
GOLF
Ladies and gentlemen, your new European Ryder Cup captain: Paul McGinley! (AP)
HOCKEY
His concussion symptoms are gone, and Sidney Crosby is back. (AP)
Claude Giroux in Philadelphia and Henrik Zetterberg in Detroit are promoted to captain. (AP)
Things are getting frosty between P.K. Subban and the Canadiens. (NBC's Pro Hockey Talk)
The Canucks will be without David Booth for four to six weeks. (AP)
So much for that icing experiment in the AHL. (Pro Hockey Talk)
Hockey has returned, but will the TV viewers? The broadcasters sure hope so. (AP)
R.I.P. George Gund III, one of the original owners of the Sharks. (CSN Bay Area)
PRO BASKETBALL
Things look a lot better for the Lakers when Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard are both scoring 31 points. (AP)
Even so, is it time for L.A. to think the unthinkable and accept offers for Bryant? (nbcsports.com)
No Chris Paul? No problem for the Clippers. (AP)
Michael Beasley continues to be harassed by those darn gremllns. (NBC's Pro Basketball Talk)
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson -- yes, the former NBA All-Star -- is making a counteroffer to keep the Kings from moving to Seattle. (AP)
Kings rookie forward Thomas Robinson crashed his Porsche after Sacramento's win over the Cavaliers Monday night, but he says he's fine. (CSN Bay Area) The Porsche, however . . . (Sacramento Bee)
Looks like the Nets got it right with that coaching change, didn't they? (AP)
The Knicks are already across the pond, getting ready for Thursday's game in London against the Pistons. (AP)
And because there's apparently a shortage of ambulances to chase in Miami . . . (Pro Basketball Talk)
PRO FOOTBALL
Who's Marc Trestman, you ask, and how did he get the head coaching job with the Bears? By doing a kick-butt job with the Montreal Alouettes, that's how. And who are the Montreal Alouettes, you ask? Now you're just being silly. (NBC's Pro Football Talk)
Bruce Arians, one of the finalists who lost out to Trestman, is drawing interest from the Cardinals. (Pro Football Talk)
It was love at first sight between Mike McCoy and the Chargers, which is why he's San Diego's new coach. (AP)
And San Diego will be McCoy's home for at least another year. (AP)
Hmm. Is Gus Bradley playing hard to get with the Eagles? (CSN Philly)
Don't look now, but Saturday's double-overtime victory in Denver makes it five playoff wins on the road for Joe Flacco. (CSN Baltimore)
Mike Nolan was fired as coach of the 49ers 3 12 years ago, and now -- as Falcons' defensive coordinator -- he's going against them for the NFC Championship. But with some of the players he brought in holding key roles in San Francisco, he finds the Niners' success "a little rewarding" . . . in a "strange way". (CSN Bay Area)
Mike McCarthy -- who doesn't "dig the drama stuff" -- is "appalled" by the "ridiculous" question of whether Dom Capers will return as Packers' defensive coordinator after the 49ers steamrolled Green Bay for 579 yards last weekend. Still, he won't say definitively that Capers is coming back. (AP)
Cam Newton's back taking classes at Auburn, where a spokesman says the Panthers quarterback "wants to focus on school and be a normal student". (AP)
It's Begging Out Of The Pro Bowl season! Today's winners: Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Clady. (AP)
A lot of men feign injuries to get out of dancing, but come on, Mr. Mayor. Don't welsh on a bet. (NBC's Off The Bench)
TENNIS
That's another 6-0, 6-0 win for Maria Sharapova . . . (AP)
. . . and she celebrated by opening her very own Twitter account. (AP)
So much for Brian Baker's comeback. (AP)
It looks likes Rafael Nadal's, meanwhile, will begin in the Brazil Open. (AP)